HD snowboard filming...help!? « Videomaker Forums

flyboy88
Member

hey guys, so im new to the forum, looking for any help i can get. Im going to start filming snowboarding and action sports with my buddies starting in the mountains this winter. We have always talked about it, and ive always loved making videos so im stepping up! My main concern right now is a camera. I dont want anything too expensive to start as i am a beginner, but i do want HD and also the option to interchange lens converters or something of the sort. current price range is sitting around $1200. The camera that has sparked my interest at the moment is the Canon Vixia HFS100. Many people have recommended the GL2. I would look more into it but its a little out of my price range so im keeping my distance for now, maybe in the spring. Im also concerned about the cold affecting battery life, etc. Any suggestions?

Posted 3 months ago # Login to Send PM
robgrauert
Member

The GL2 isn't HD, but it's still a great camera.

Yes, the cold will affect battery life, so stock up on batteries from http://www.ebatts.com. I got 2 of their brand and they last like, 12 hours each.

I have no recommendations for that price range though. I'm not familiar with consumer cams. sorry

Robert J. Grauert, Jr
http://www.robgrauert.com

Posted 3 months ago # Login to Send PM
Evan Patrick
Member

What up. When i started out looking for HD cameras, that was my price range too, but I finally ended up getting the Panasonic HMC150 which is $3500. Yes, I took out a loan. But recently I found out about HD videographers going after the Cannon 5D Mark ii. It looks like a DSLR but actually produces astounding HD video, plus it's cheap. Personally I'd still get a video camera for myself, but the Mark ii is really cheap and looks better most HD cameras below 10 grand. Check out this Snowboarding comparison of the Canon 5D mark 2 ($2,000) and the Sony Ex1 ($6,000). I know some guys that just traded in their EX1 for a Canon Mark ii because of it's amazing depth of field.

Get the Video Plugin

Other than that, you are going to have to stick with the Canon HFS100. It looks alright, but just has no manual options. With auto focus, your snowboarder is going to be out of focus a lot.

Also, If you get the HFS100, you are going to have to have a super fast PC for editing. The HFS encodes video in the AVCHD format, so you will need Premiere CS4, Vista 64 bit, a minimum of a quad core with 6 gb ram. I can give you more info too cause all this stuff is fresh in my mind.

I'm so lucky to be conscious.

Posted 3 months ago # Login to Send PM